Closed cutter head for dry shavers



Jan. 22, 1963 E. LISKA CLOSED CUTTER HEAD FOR DRY SHAVERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 16, 1960 FIG 7 FIG. 2

Jan. 22, 1963 E. LISKA 3,074,161

CLOSED CUTTER HEAD FOR DRY SHAVERS Filed Nov. 16, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3,74,l6l Patented Jan. 22, 1963 ice The invention relates to a closed cutter head for dry shavers, which is removable from the body and replaceable and which comprises .a curved, stationary comb foil and a reciprocable lower blade which is resiliently pressed against said comb foil. The cutter head has the comb foil attired thereto only at the two straight longitudinal edges of the latter and the lower blade is pressed into the arch of the comb foil by at least one coil spring.

in a known construction of such a cutter head the lower blade is carried by two coil springs, which at their other end are non-displaceably held in the shaver body. As a result, only the body cap of the cutter head with the comb foil is removable from the shaver body e.g., for cleaning after shaving, whereas the lower blade with the compression springs remains on the body.

This has proved a disadvantage because the mounting of the body cap with the delicate foil causes certain changes in the position of the blade so that the foil may be damaged. Another serious disadvantage of the known construction described resides in that the existing cutter head cannot be replaced by a second cutter head or even a third cutter head of different construction, which would enable the use of the drive, accommodated in the body, with different types of cutter heads.

On the other hand, it is known to arrange the lower blade in the cutter head itself in such a manner that the lower blade is guided at its sides by a trough-shaped formation at the top of the wall of the cutter head carrier. in this arrangement a spring presses the blade against the comb foil and bears on a member for driving the blade, e.g. an oscillating armature. Whereas the entire cutter head is removable after the two-part shaver body has been taken apart, the removal and re-assembly cannot be carried out by the user after each use of the shaver but only from time to time by a skilled person, e.g., during repairs, because .an exact adjustment is required. In this case too a replacement of the cutter head by another cutter head of different design is not provided for.

It is an object of the invention to avoid these disadvantages. Starting from a cutter head of the type mentioned hereinbefore, the same is characterized according to the invention in that the lower blade is supported by preferably two coil springs on a carrying frame in the cutter head and in that the lower blade, the coil springs and the carrying frame are combined to form a unit, which is inserted as such in the cutter head body, provided with the comb foil, and can easily be removed therefrom. In a special embodiment of the cutter head according to the invention the carrying frame has approximately U-shaped cross members, which carry the coil springs and are interconnected by longitudinal members, which bear on projections in the cutter head. Thus, the entire shaver head can be quickly replaced by another, e.g. a hair clipping head or a comb clipping head for long hair so that the device can be used for shaving, clipping the beard and for cutting the hair.

An embodiment of the cutter head according to the invention will be explained more fully hereinafter with reference to the drawing, in which FIG. 1 is a fragmentary end view partly in section, showing the cutter head and FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view showing the cutter head as viewed from the side.

FIG. 3 illustrates the parts which are assembledto form a unit of construction which is to be insertedasa whole into thecutter, head.

FIG. 4 is a sideelevation showing this unit.

FIG. 5 shows the assembled shaver partly'in acentral sectional view.

The cutter head 36 according to the invention is secured to'the body 1 of a shaver by usual locking means comprising, e.g. two mutually opposite cams 2 provided on the cutter head and forming an abutment and resiliently yielding clamping elements, not shown in the drawing, which are provided on the body. 3 is the cap or the cutter head body member of the cutter head 30. This cap 3 may consist of one piece, e.g., of plastic or metal, and has in its top a window-like opening 4. A perforated comb foil 5 is inserted in the opening 4 with a cylindrical curvature and closes this opening toward the outside. The foil is secured to the cap 3 only .at its two mutually opposite longitudinal edges by means of two rails 6. The comb foil 5 is thus free to move to some extent in the transverse direction so that the rigid lower blade 7 having a semi-cylindrical convex surface can snugly apply itself to the concave surface of the comb foil 5. At their lower longitudinal edges the two rails 6 have elongated heads 8 extending parallel to said edges and are secured with two screws S each to the cap 3 to retain the interposed com-b foil on the cap wall.

The unit 20 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 can be inserted into this cap 3 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and provided with the comb foil 5. The unit 20 comprises a carrying frame It), which consists preferably of a sheet metal stamping, the two coil springs 11 and the rigid lower blade 7. The carrying frame 10 has two U-shaped cross members lila, each of which has an offset intermediate portion carrying a coil spring 11.

On one side of each cross member a pin 12 is arranged which extends towards the lower part of the blade 7 and serves as a stop for the lower blade 7. The cross members 10a are interconnected by longitudinal members 1812, which have the cross-sectional shape of an outwardly open angle so that they can embrace the elongated heads 8 of the rails 6. The cross members 10a form two springs, which retain the members 10b in clamped position on the heads 8. A lug 13 formed on one of the members 10b facilitates the removal of the carrying frame from the cap 3. The screws 9 .are located at the corners of the quadrangle formed by the cross members 16a and the longitudinal members 10b so that the carrying frame is exactly held in position in the cap 3.

Each coil spring 11 is secured by means of a clip 14 to the middle of the appertaining cross member 10a and by means of a pin 15 to the lower blade 7. These pins 15 are disposed in bores of a U-shaped rail 16 of the semicylindrical lower blade 7, which has arcuate cutting edges 7a. The rail 16 has two lugs 17, which are formed by stamping and engageable by the drive member 18, e.g., an oscillating pin of the motor accommodated in the body 1. Thus the blade 7 is carried only by the coil springs 11, which press the blade against the comb foil 5 as soon as the blade is inserted in the cap 3 so that the blade is in snug engagement with the foil in any phase of motion.

When the cutter head 30 is cleaned after shaving, the blade remains in the cutter head so that the delicate comb foil is protected. On the other hand, the unit 20 consisting of the blade 7, springs 11 and frame 10 can be removed from the cutter head at any time and without difiiculty in case of need.

What I claim is:

1. A closed cutter head for a dry shaver, which cutter head is adapted to be removably and replaceably mounted on a dry shaver body, said cutter head comprising a cutter head body member, an upwardly arched, stationary comb foil having two straight longitudinally edges and being secured to said cutter head body member only at said edges, and a lower blade unit easily removably inserted in said cutter head body'hiember, said unit being a unitary structure comprising a carrying frame, a lower blade, and coil spring means supporting said lower blade on said frame for pressing said blade against the underside of said comb foil.

2. A cutter head as set forth in claim 1, in which said coil spring means consist of two coil springs.

3. A cutter head as set forth in claim 1, in which said frame comprises approximately U-shaped cross members carrying said coil spring means, and longitudinal members connecting said cross members, and in which said cutter head body member is formed with projections engaging said longitudinal members to locate the same.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,802,261 Heyek Aug. 13, 1957 2,859,513 Bylund Nov. 11, 1958 2,908,970 Braun et al. Oct. 20, 1959 

1. A CLOSED CUTTER HEAD FOR A DRY SHAVER, WHICH CUTTER HEAD IS ADAPTED TO BE REMOVABLY AND REPLACEABLY MOUNTED ON A DRY SHAVER BODY, SAID CUTTER HEAD COMPRISING A CUTTER HEAD BODY MEMBER, AN UPWARDLY ARCHED, STATIONARY COMB FOIL HAVING TWO STRAIGHT LONGITUDINALLY EDGES AND BEING SECURED TO SAID CUTTER HEAD BODY MEMBER ONLY AT SAID EDGES, AND A LOWER BLADE UNIT EASILY REMOVABLY INSERTED IN SAID CUTTER HEAD BODY MEMBER, SAID UNIT BEING A UNITARY STRUCTURE COMPRISING A CARRYING FRAME, A LOWER BLADE, AND COIL SPRING MEANS SUPPORTING SAID LOWER BLADE 